U.S. patent number 6,672,653 [Application Number 10/268,679] was granted by the patent office on 2004-01-06 for rear vehicle body structure.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Michio Kudo, Masaharu Nishikawa.
United States Patent |
6,672,653 |
Nishikawa , et al. |
January 6, 2004 |
Rear vehicle body structure
Abstract
A rear vehicle body structure including a rear side member, a
side sill inner, and a rear floor. The rear side member includes a
front portion connected to the side sill inner, a middle portion,
and a rear portion disposed on a transversely inner side of the
front portion. The rear portion has a first wall on its
transversely outer side, and the middle portion has a second wall
continuously provided from the first wall to the front portion. The
side sill inner has a third wall accommodated within width of the
rear side member and connected to the rear side member and the rear
floor. The third wall has, on its rear end, a flange portion fixed
to the rear side member at a vicinity of a transition point from
the first wall to the second wall, on substantially the same plane
as the third wall.
Inventors: |
Nishikawa; Masaharu
(Kanagawa-ken, JP), Kudo; Michio (Kanagawa-ken,
JP) |
Assignee: |
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
(Kanagawa-ken, JP)
|
Family
ID: |
19134945 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/268,679 |
Filed: |
October 11, 2002 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Oct 15, 2001 [JP] |
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P2001-317013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
296/203.04;
296/205; 296/209 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62D
25/2027 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B62D
25/20 (20060101); B62D 025/20 () |
Field of
Search: |
;296/195,198,203.04,209,205,193.05,193.07,193.08 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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4020363 |
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Jan 1992 |
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DE |
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0 943 531 |
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Sep 1999 |
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EP |
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58-133967 |
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Aug 1983 |
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JP |
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09254828 |
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Sep 1997 |
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JP |
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10-297541 |
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Nov 1998 |
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JP |
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P2000-255457 |
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Sep 2000 |
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JP |
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2001-247056 |
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Sep 2001 |
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JP |
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Primary Examiner: Pedder; Dennis H.
Assistant Examiner: Engle; Patricia L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: McDermott, Will & Emery
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A rear vehicle body structure comprising: a rear side member
including, a front portion in front of a rear wheel house,
extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a rear portion
disposed on a transversely inner side of the front portion,
extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and having a first
wall on a transversely outer side thereof, and a middle portion
having a second wall continuously provided from a front end of the
first wall of the rear portion to a transversely outer rear end of
the front portion; a longitudinally extending side sill inner, a
rear portion of which is connected transversely outside the front
portion of the rear side member; and a rear floor connected onto
the rear side member and the side sill inner, wherein the rear
portion of the side sill inner comprises a third wall configured to
be accommodated within width of the rear side member to connect a
bottom portion of the rear side member with the rear floor, and
wherein the third wall of the side sill inner has, on its rear end,
a flange portion configured to be fixed to the rear side member at
a vicinity of a transition point from the first wall to the second
wall, on substantially the same plane as the third wall.
2. The rear vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein
the side sill inner includes a protruded portion gradually
protruded transversely inward from a main surface thereof as it
approaches rearward, accommodated within width of the rear side
member, and a transversely inner side of the protruded portion
constitutes the third wall.
3. The rear vehicle body structure according to claim 2, further
comprising: a first reinforcement positioned on transversely inner
side of the third wall of the side sill inner and fixed to the
bottom portion of the rear side member, and a second reinforcement
positioned on transversely outer side of the third wall of the side
sill inner and fixed to a bottom portion of the protruded portion,
the first and second reinforcements having, on opposing sides
thereof, flanges to be fixed to the third wall interposed
therebetween.
4. The rear vehicle body structure according to claim 3, wherein
the first reinforcement has, on its transversely inner side, the
other flange to be fixed to a fourth wall of the rear side member
longitudinally extending along a transversely inner side thereof,
and the second reinforcement has, on its transversely outer side,
the other flange to be fixed to the main surface of the side sill
inner.
5. A rear vehicle body structure comprising: a rear side member
including, a front portion in front of a rear wheel house,
extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a rear portion
disposed on a transversely inner side of the front portion,
extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and having a first
wall on a transversely outer side thereof, and a middle portion
having a second wall continuously provided from a front end of the
first wall of the rear portion to a transversely outer rear end of
the front portion; a longitudinally extending side sill inner, a
rear portion of which is connected transversely outside the front
portion of the rear side member, the rear portion comprising a
third wall configured to be accommodated within width of the rear
side member; a rear floor placed on the rear side member and the
side sill inner, with its undersurface connected to a bottom
portion of the rear side member through the third wall of the side
sill inner; and connecting means for connecting, on substantially
the same plane as the third wall of the side sill inner, a rear end
of the third wall to the rear side member at a vicinity of a
transition point from the first wall to the second wall.
6. A rear vehicle body structure comprising: a rear side member
including, a front portion in front of a rear wheel house,
extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a middle portion
extending rearward from the front portion around the rear wheel
house, and a rear portion extending rearward from the middle
portion, and having a longitudinally extending first wall on its
transversely outer side; a longitudinally extending side sill
inner, a rear portion of which is connected transversely outside
the front portion of the rear side member; and a rear floor
connected onto the rear side member and the side sill inner,
wherein the side sill inner has a longitudinally extending second
wall accommodated within width of the rear side member for
connecting a bottom portion of the rear side member with the rear
floor, and wherein the second wall is connected to the first wall
so that the first and second walls constitute a curvilinear surface
extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
7. The rear vehicle body structure according to claim 6, wherein
the bottom portion of the rear side member continuously extends
over the front portion, the middle portion and the rear portion,
and has a third wall along a transversely inner side thereof
substantially parallel with the curvilinear surface of the first
and second walls, and wherein the curvilinear surface of the first
and second walls, the third wall, the bottom portion of the rear
side member and the rear floor cooperate to form a closed sectional
structure extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rear body structure for a
vehicle, particularly a body structure around a rear floor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-255457 discloses a
rear car body structure including a side sill provided on an outer
side of a vehicle transverse direction and extended substantially
in a straight manner in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and a
rear side member connected to a rear portion of a side sill inner
of the side sill and extended substantially straight in the vehicle
longitudinal direction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In foregoing rear car body structures, a rear portion of a rear
side member is extended rearward from a transversely inner part of
an offset portion of the rear side member in a vicinity of a front
part of a rear wheel house. Consequently, impact force of a rear
end collision is not smoothly transmitted from the rear side member
to the side sill inner, breaking off the rear side member from the
offset portion. An increase in thickness of a plate of the rear
side member to prevent such breakage results in weight increase and
poor press formability.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a rear vehicle
body structure smoothly transmitting impact force of vehicle rear
end collision from a rear side member to a side sill inner without
increasing the plate thickness of the rear side member.
An aspect of the present invention is a rear vehicle body structure
comprising: a rear side member including a front portion in front
of a rear wheel house, extending in a vehicle longitudinal
direction, a rear portion disposed on a transversely inner side of
the front portion, extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction,
and having a first wall on a transversely outer side thereof, and a
middle portion having a second wall continuously provided from a
front end of the first wall of the rear portion to a transversely
outer rear end of the front portion; a longitudinally extending
side sill inner, a rear portion of which is connected transversely
outside the front portion of the rear side member; and a rear floor
connected onto the rear side member and the side sill inner,
wherein the rear portion of the side sill inner comprises a third
wall configured to be accommodated within width of the rear side
member to connect a bottom portion of the rear side member with the
rear floor, and wherein the third wall of the side sill inner has,
on its rear end, a flange portion configured to be fixed to the
rear side member at a vicinity of a transition point from the first
wall to the second wall, on substantially the same plane as the
third wall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rear vehicle body structure
surrounding a rear floor according to an embodiment of the present
invention, specifically the structure of a right side of a vehicle
traveling direction.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the rear vehicle body
structure of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view seen from an arrow direction III in
FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line IV--IV of
an arrow direction in FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line V--V of
an arrow direction in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
An embodiment of the present invention will be explained below with
reference to the drawings, wherein like members are designated by
like reference characters. A rear vehicle body structure of a left
side of a vehicle traveling direction is similar to that of a right
side of the vehicle traveling direction of FIG. 1, and thus
description thereof will be omitted.
A rear wheel house 1 includes a wheel house inner 2 and a wheel
house outer 3 (see FIG. 3). A rear side member 4 is extended
rearward from a front side of the rear wheel house 1 around an
inner side of the rear wheel house 1 in a vehicle transverse
direction. The rear side member 4 includes a front portion 5
disposed on the front side of the rear wheel house 1 to be extended
in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a rear portion 6 disposed
behind the front portion 5 to be longitudinally extended along the
transversely inner side, and an offset portion 7 positioned between
the front and rear portions 5 and 6. A body side outer 24 is
provided in the front from the rear wheel outer 3.
On a transversely inner side of a bottom portion 8 of the rear side
member 4, a curvilinear upward wall portion 9 is longitudinally
extending with its rear end offset transversely inside relative to
its front end. The front portion 5 of the rear side member 4 has an
L-shaped section composed of the bottom portion 8 and the wall
portion 9. The rear portion 6 of the rear side member 4 has a
upward wall portion 10 longitudinally extending along a
transversely outer side of the bottom portion 8, which constitutes
a U-shaped section of the rear portion 6 with the bottom portion 8
and the wall portion 9. In addition, the offset portion 7 includes
a low upward curved wall portion 11 continuously provided between a
transversely outer rear end of the front portion 5 and a front end
of the wall portion 10 formed on the transversely outer side of the
rear portion 6. This curved wall portion 11 has a shape
corresponding to the shape of the wheel house inner 2, and is
connected to a transversely inside of the wheel house inner 2.
On the front of the rear wheel house 1, a side sill 12 is disposed
so as to extend in a substantially straight manner in the vehicle
longitudinal direction. This side sill 12 has a closed sectional
structure composed of a side sill outer 13 and a side sill inner
14, thereby providing rigidity to a vehicle body side. The front
portion 5 of the rear side member 4 is connected to a transversely
inside of a rear portion of the side sill inner 14.
On an upper portion of the rear portion of the side sill inner 14,
a protruded portion 15 gradually protrudes transversely inward from
a main surface of the side sill inner 14 as it approaches rearward
so as to be accommodated in a sectional inside of the rear side
member 4. This protruded portion 15 is placed on the bottom portion
8 of the rear side member 4, and a rear floor 16 is placed on the
protruded portion 15. The rear floor 16 is connected onto the wall
portion 9 on the transversely inner side of the rear side member 4.
A longitudinally extending wall portion 17 provided on a
transversely inner side of the protruded portion 15 is positioned
within width (or the sectional inside) of the rear side member 4,
and erected from the bottom portion 8 thereof to connect the bottom
portion 8 with an undersurface of the rear floor 16. A flange
portion 18 formed on a rear end of the wall portion 17 is connected
to the rear side member 4 at a vicinity of the transition point
from the wall portion 10 to the curved wall portion 11 and
substantially on the same plane as that of the wall portion 17.
Here, "substantially on the same plane" does not mean a plane
strictly identical to that of the wall portion 17. It only means
that the flange portion 18 needs to be continuous somewhat smoothly
with the wall portion 17 and not be extremely bent. Accordingly,
the wall portion 10 of the rear side member 4 and the wall portion
17 of the protruded portion 15 of the side sill inner 14 are
interconnected by the flange portion 18, forming a curvilinear
surface extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Then, a
box-shaped closed sectional structure which is composed of the
continuously connected wall portions 10 and 17 and the flange
portion 18, the wall portion 9 of the rear side member 4 disposed
substantially in parallel to these, the bottom portion 8 of the
rear side member 4 and the rear floor 16, is formed to have a
longitudinally extending curvilinear shape with its rear end offset
transversely inside relative to its front end.
An end of a rear cross member 19 extended in the vehicle transverse
direction is connected to a front part of the protruded portion 15
of the side sill inner 4. This rear cross member 19 has a section
bent in a crank shape. The rear floor 16 and a cover portion 20
formed downward from its front end are connected to the rear cross
member 19 to form a closed section 21 along the vehicle transverse
direction, thereby increasing vehicle body rigidity.
The sectional inside of the rear side member 4 is partitioned into
transversely inner and outer sides by the wall portion 17 of the
protruded portion 15. Inside the sections of the partitioned inner
and outer sides, respectively, first and second reinforcements 22
and 23 are provided to support a rear suspension (not shown). The
first reinforcement 22 has a shape of an upper side opened
container with its bottom portion connected to the bottom portion 8
of the rear side member 4. An upward flange 22a on its transversely
outer side is connected to the wall portion 17 of the protruded
portion 15. An upward flange 22b on its transversely inner side is
connected to the wall portion 9 of the rear side member 4. The
second reinforcement 23 has, on its transversely inner side, an
upward flange 23a connected to the wall portion 17 of the protruded
portion 15, and on its transversely outer side, a downward flange
23b connected to the main surface of the side sill inner 14.
According to the described embodiment, since the wall portion 17 is
accommodated within the sectional inside of the rear side member 4
to connect the bottom portion 8 of the rear side member 4 with the
rear floor 16, the geometric moment of inertia of the rear side
member 4 is increased. The flange portion 18 formed on the rear end
of the wall portion 17 is connected to the rear side member 4 at
the vicinity of the transition point from the wall portion 10 to
the curved wall portion 11, substantially on the same plane as the
wall portion 17. Accordingly, the impact force F of a vehicle rear
end collision can be smoothly transmitted from the rear side member
4 to the side sill inner 14. Thus, a plate of the rear side member
4 can be made thinner, reducing weight thereof, and providing
excellent press formability. Especially, since the protruded
portion 15 of the side sill inner 14 has, on its transversely inner
side, the wall portion 17 gradually extending transversely inward
into the sectional inside of the rear side member 4 and connected
to the rear side member 4 at the vicinity of the wall portion 10,
the impact force F of the vehicle rear end collision can be
smoothly transmitted from the rear side member 4 to the side sill
inner 14.
The first and second reinforcements 22 and 23 are respectively
connected to the rear side member 4 and the bottom portion of the
protruded portion 15, and the upward flanges 22a and 23a formed on
the opposing ends thereof are connected to the wall portion 17
interposed therebetween of the protruded portion 15. Thus,
suspension load input to the first and second reinforcements 22 and
23 is transmitted to the wall portion 17, enhancing the supporting
rigidity of the rear suspension (not shown).
Furthermore, a two-component structure, i.e., the first and second
reinforcements 22 and 23, expands an area for the attachment
(attaching span) of the rear suspension (not shown) and distributes
load input, whereby plates of the first and second reinforcements
22 and 23 can be made thinner. Moreover, the upward flange 22b and
the downward flange 23b formed on the mutually separated ends of
the first and second reinforcements 22 and 23 are respectively
connected to the wall portion 9 of the rear side member 4 and the
main surface of the side sill inner 14. Thus, suspension load is
transmitted to the wall portion 9 of the rear side member 4 and the
main surface of the side sill inner 14, further enhancing the
supporting rigidity of the rear suspension (not shown).
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in
Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-317013, filed on Oct. 15,
2001, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety.
The preferred embodiment described herein is illustrative and not
restrictive, and the invention may be practiced or embodied in
other ways without departing from the sprit or essential character
thereof. The scope of the invention being indicated by the claims,
and all variations which come within the meaning of claims are
intended to be embraced herein.
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